A Flipped Classroom Approach to the Teaching of English Phonetics and Phonology
Principal Supervisors

Professor Jette G. Hansen Edwards
(Department of English)
Duration

1 year and 6 months
Approved Budget

HK $267,700
 
  • Abstract
  • Brief write-up

Abstract

  • The aim of this project is to foster a flipped classroom approach to the teaching of “English Phonetics and Phonology” (ENGE 2510) through the development of flipped classroom learning materials in the form of 16 online videos.

  • Crucially, these 16 online videos will replace class time that is used to define these 16 key issues, so that more class time can be devoted to discussing the topics/ concepts with the students rather than on the project supervisor (the course instructor) lecturing. They are also viewable throughout the entire term, to help students revise and consolidate their knowledge on each topic.

  • Each video will be 10-15 minutes in length, and each will be linked to a major topic area of ENGE 2510, including English vowel length, English consonant articulation, English stop consonants, English phonemes, English word stress, English syllable structure, English accents worldwide, Hong Kong English, English rhoticity, American vs. British English, English flapping and aspiration, TH-fronting, Glottal stopping, among others.

  • Each video will feature the project supervisor discussing one or more key issues for each given lecture. They will also include audio, video, pictorial, narrative, and text content.

Brief write-up

Project objectives

The aim of this project is to foster a flipped classroom approach to the teaching of English Phonetics and Phonology (ENGE 2510) through the development of 19 videos. Crucially, these 19 online videos are meant to replace class time that is used to define these key issues, so that more class time can be devoted to discussing the topics/ concepts with the students. They are also viewable throughout the entire term, to help students revise and consolidate their knowledge on each topic. Each video is between 5-10 minutes in length and linked to a major topic area of ENGE 2510, including English vowel length, English consonant articulation, and English stop consonants, each video features the Project Supervisor (PS) discussing one or more key issues for each given lecture. They also include audio, visual, and text content.

Activities, process and outcomes

  1. The PS selected 19 key topics from ENGE 2510, for development of the videos;
  2. The PS created a list of key words/sentences for the collection of audio data;
  3. The PS recruited and hired a research assistant to help with speech data collection and parsing;
  4. The PS selected participants from a range of backgrounds, including but not limited to: Scotland, Australia, the United States, England, Malaysia, China, Hong Kong;
  5. The PS’s research assistant created individual speech files for each recorded word and sentence for participant, and created a separate folder with speech files for each video;
  6. The PS created the PPT for each of the 19 topic areas, to use as the framework for the videos;
  7. The RA inserted the audio files into each of the 19 videos; and
  8. The PS completed each video by adding animation and narration.

Deliverables and evaluation

The PS is planning on offering a workshop to English Department colleagues about innovation in teaching and eLearning, based on this project. The PS is also hoping to present the project at the next CLEAR EXPO.

The videos will be pilot tested in ENGE 2510 in the upcoming academic year. The project will be assessed against the following key performance indicators: 1) Clarity of the materials (quality of video, audio, narrative, pictures, and text); 2) Clarity of the definition, explanation, and examples given for each concept (quality of the content); 3) User-friendliness and accessibility of the videos; and 4) Effectiveness of the modules in fostering understanding of each key concept as well as class discussion of each topic.

Dissemination, diffusion, impact and sharing of good practices

The PS will share the project with colleagues in her Department as well as across other units at CUHK via the CLEAR EXPO.

The most important part of the success of this project was the detailed planning that went into the project before it was implemented. The PS spent a considerable amount of time outlining each video and preparing the word list and sentence list, for the audio samples that are embedded in each video.